Union undergarment.



.l. T. LYONS.

UNION UNDERGARMENT. I APPLICATION mm OCT. 9. 1915.

Patented July 4, 1916.

lnvenTor John T Lyons f bYWWMW ATTy s.-

JOHN T. LYONS, 0F PAW'I'UCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

UNION UNDERG-ARMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ma a, rare.

Application filed October 9, 1915. Serial No. 55,098.

T 0 all whom it may concern;

Be it known that 1', JOHN T. LYoNs, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Pawtucket, county of Providence, State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improvement in Union Undergarments, of

number of seams and gussets and having a single opening to permit the garment to be put on the wearer with a minimum num ber of fastenings to retain the garment in smoothly closed position.

The usual forms of union suits are provided with a front extending from the collar to a point below the waist line or in some instances to the crotch, and one or more back openings extending from the crotch approximately to the waist line with inserts such as gussets flaps secured to the edge of the sections of the back and adapted to overlap to insure complete closure of the opening. These gussets and flaps are connected to the body of the garment by a transverse seam located at or adjacent to the waist line.

The binding of the edges of the sections of the garment along the front and rear openings with the buttons required to insure the closure of the openings not only renders the production of the garment expensive but causes the garment frequently to need repairs because of the tension placed upon the closure and scams during wear and the injuries sustained by the garment during laundrying.

The presence of an opening in the front of the garment is objectionable to the wearer for the reason that when thin shirts are used the overlapping portions and butandthe back of the garment is likewise objectionable as are also the seams across the back which frequently give way or if improperly positioned result in an uncomfortable inisfitting garment. By the present invention the front opening is entirely omitted and a single opening provided in the back which permits the garment to be readily put on, a single suitable gusset and flap being provided to insure the closure of the opening'when upon the wearer.

This gusset and flap is so constructed that a button or other suitable attachment on or' near the collar, conveniently accessible to the wearer, suifices to retain the garment in closed position, but it will be understood that other fastenings may also be provided if desired.

In the preferred embodiments of the in practically free from contact with the body or with the overlying apparel. In case an additional fastening is desired a button may so be placed below or adjacent the waist line in such position that its presence will not be noticeable to the wearer.

I am aware that heretofore union suits have been made with a front opening. by means of which the garment may be puton, the gussets being so arrangedwithin the opening that the same may be closed by a single button at the collar but this form of garment is inconvenient in that the multiplieity of thicknesses lie across the chest of the wearer and as before stated the edges of the sections of the garment are visible through thin shirts. Such garments however are provided in the back with the usual gussets and flaps above described which are seamed through the garment transversely along the-waist line and are secured to the edges as aforesaid.

lhedrawing herein illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention in which,

Figure 1 is front elevation of a closed crotch union suit, and Fig. 2 is a rear elevati on of the same showing the gusset and flap in closed position.

The drawing illustrates a closed crotch union suit which comprises a body portion 1 having integral leg portions 2 and a transof the wearer but in this type of garment is of such size that the garment cannot be put on through the neck opening as 1s the case with certain'types of low neck gar ments.

The front portion 6 of the body of the garment is plain and uninterrupted by openings or seams of any character from the collar to a substantial distance below the waist line and the leg portions 2 preferably constitute integral c'ontinua'tions thereof. Garments of this character can be woven upon a loom or knitted upon either a circular knitting machine or upon a flat knitting'machine without the necessity of special mechanism. The back of the body portion is so constructed that when slitted the adjacent portions present a fullness of decreasing ex tent'from the crotch towardthe collar the portions having the fullness aforesaid being constructed in the completed garments to overlap and form a complete closure when the garment 15 upon the wearer.

The back of the garment preferably is slitted vertically from the collar to the crotch or to the seam of the thigh portion of one of the legs and a gusset 7 which is cut on the bias to give elasticity is secured referably by an elastic seam 8 to the edge 0 one of the sections 9 of the back of the garment, the gusset 7 being of sutlicient width to extend a considerable distance beyond the vertical median line connecting the collar with the crotch. The gusset 7 is preferably provided with greater fullness both longitudinally and laterally than the section of the garment to which it is attached. The full- .ness preferably is of decreasing amount extending from the crotch toward the collar.

In order to insure complete closure of the garment a flap 10 is attached to the edge 11 of the opposite section 12 of the back of the garment and may extend to or belowthe crotch. This flap like the gusset preferably is of greater fullness than the section of the garment to which it is attached and in closed crotch suits the fullness of this complementary flap like that of the gusset preferably is of decreasing fullness from the crotch toward the collar and preferably'is joined to the gusset at the crotch. here, as illustrated herein the union garment is provided with a transverse crotch closing gusset 3, the lower edges 14, 15, of the gusset and the flap may be secured directly to the edge of the gusset 3, thus extending downward from the leg portion to a point 13 upon the thigh, as illustrated" in Fig.2. 7

The elasticity of the longitudinal seams which connect the gusset 7 and flap-litre-1;"

spectively with the edges of the-section pr 7 the back tends to assist in drawing thebaeklf portions of the garment into properposi tion when the membersjof the back have been spread apart, since these seams,--when Y the lowerportionof the back is open, ex-F tend along the arched portion of the back of the wearer and are stretched to a con-'-- siderable extent and when the strain is relieved tend promptly to return to their nor- 7 mal position, thus forcing the flap and gusset into normal closed position. v

In the garment constructed .as aforesaid a single button 16 located on or nearthe collar of the garment is sufficient to retain the parts in proper position but inorder to provide against an emergency occasioned by the loss of.the button a button-hole 17 may be provided on the under part of the garment to receive an ordinary collar but ton. While the single button above referred to is usually sufficient to retain the garment in closed position one or more additional fastenings between the collar and hip portion may be provided. As illustrated herein a single button 18 is placed at a point below the waist line so that the button will lie within the curved. portion of the body of the wearer where the waist merges into the hip so that no inconvenience will be caused to the wearer by pressure against the button. By thus providing the opening in the back extending from the collar or shoulder to or below the crotch the garment may be easilyv slipped on and quickly closed by the button at the collar and the security of the closure may be insured by the single button adjacent the hip portion.

It will be observed hat the double thicki ness of material formed by the overlapping of the flap and gusset will lie along the hollow portion of the back of the wearer so that the presence of this additional thickness will not interfere with the proper fitting of the I overlying apparel and willnot be noticedby the wearer. Furthermore the presence of this double thickness adds to the comfort my invention is intended to coverbroadly any defined the openingdas extending back divided from tion of the back and fastening means form of union, suit having a single opening located inrthe back with means for insuring the closure of the garment and for retaining the same normally in closed position. It is also to be understood that whileI have from the collar to the crotch this position of the opening is not restrictive and that an open-' ing extending from the collar or the shoulder to the crotch or to a point adjacent to,

either above or below the median line of the crotch is within the meaning of the claims hereto annexed. and that the term button is used in a general sense to cover any usual type of fastening.

Having I claim as new and ters Patent is; I

1. A union garment body and leg portions having a front permanentlyclosed from the neck to a substantial distance below the Waist line and a the collar to a point on the thigh, one portionof the back being formed\ of a fullness ,of decreasing extent from the crotch toward the collar and the opposite portion having a flap of like decreasing fullness secured to its edge and arranged to overlap the complemental ppror said back arranged at the collar and adjacent the waist line, the arrangement of the garment being such as to permit the fitting comprising integral than the sections i and means located atthe collar for securing thus described my mventiomwhat desire to secure by Let-- and flap portions tions together at the top.

to or removing-from the person without releasing the fastening means at the waist portion.

2. A unions garment comprising knitted integral body and leg portions, portion having a front from the neck to a portions, elastically seamed respectively to back portion, saidthe adjacent edges of the gusset and flap being of greater fullness to which they are secured the flap in overlapped position. i v

A union garment comprising integral body and leg portions, the body portion having a front permanently closed from the neck to asubstantial distance below the waist-line and a back divided from the collar to a point on the thigh, overlapping flap and gusset portions secured edges of the back, the fabric of said gusset being bias to the fabric of the body portions and greater fullness than that of the body portion. and means for securing the back por- In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN. T. LY-oNs to the ad acent 7 provided with i the body permanently closed substantial distance below the 'waist-line, the back having a single 

